Circular-knitting machine



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. L. EGK. CIRCULAR KNIT-TING MAOHINE.

No. 410,505. Patented Sept. 3, 1889.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. L. EOK. CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

No. 410,505. Patented Sept. 3, 1889 ifimasaea lnwiflor Xfaw mmewllez (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. L. EGK.

CIRCULAR KNITTING MAGHINE.

N0. 410,505. Patented sept. 3, 1889.

N PETERS Pholo-Lil flmr, Washington, 1}. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES L. ECK, OF KUTZTO\VN, PENNSYLVANIA.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 410,505, dated September 3, 1889. Application filed December 22, 1887. Serial No. 258,715. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, JAMES L. ECK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kutztown, in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improve ments in Circular-Knittiu g Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to circular-knitting machines, and has for its objects to provide novel means for securing and vertically adjusting the needle-cylinder to vary the length of the stitch without stopping the machine, and to provide a novel thread-carrier.

The object of my invention I accomplish by the combination of devices hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional front elevation of my improved circular-knitting machine. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan of the frame with solid ring and sliding segmental clamp for receiving the needle-cylinder. Fig. at is a sectional elevation of the cam-cylinder. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the knitting-machine. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the yarn-guide. Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views of the adjustable thread carrier and its support. Figs. 9 and 10 are detail views of the stopping mechanism.

3y referring to the drawings it will be seen that the numeral 1 designates the frame of the machine. On one side of this frame, at its forward end, is a depending bracket 2, formed with a boss 3, in which the driving shaft 4 is journaled. This driving-shaft 4: carries at its inner end a bevel-gear 5 and at its outer end a fast pulley G and a winch 7, a loose pulley 8 being mounted on the boss 3, so as to be entirely free from the driving shaft. If desired, a balance 0 maybe formed on or attached to the fast pulley. The forward portion of the frame 1 is annular, as usual, and formed with two upward-projecting annular concentric flanges 10 and 11, with an annulargroove or channel 12 between said flanges.

Beneath the frame 1, toward its rear end, is a depending guide-pin 13 for the sleeve 14 on the rear end of a bar 15, which carries at its forward end a solid ring 16 for supporting the needlecylinder. This solid or unsplit ring 16 fits within the internal annularflange 10 of the frame 1, and on the upper surface of said ring 10 is an annular rib or flange 17, within which the needle-cylinder 18 is received. The annular rib 17 is cut away or provided with a recess 19 at a suitable point to receive a sliding segmental clamp 20, by which the needle-cylinder can be secured firmly in position, without liability of being displaced even when the machine is operated at a high speed. The clamp 20 has a shank 21, which is passed down through a slot 22 in the ring 16, the slot being of greater width than the thickness of the shank, so as to enable the clamp to be moved in and out to secure or release the needle-cylinder as required. 3y means of a spring 23 in the slot 22 on the inner side of the shank 21 the clamp 20 will be normally pressed outward against the inner annular flange 10 of the frame 1, thus enabling the needle-cylinder 18 to be removed or replaced With ease. 'When the needle-cylinder is in place, the clamp 20 is forced into locking contact therewith by means of a screw-threaded thrust-pin 24, having a handle 25, and working in a threaded opening in a lug 26 on the under side of the ring 16, through which lug the slot 22 extends, the inner end of. the thrust-pin being adapted to bear against the outer side of the clampshank, and so force the clamp inward against the tension of the spring 23 on the innerside of the shank.

On the under side of the bar 15, which car ries the ring 10, is formed an inclined surface or cam 27, and beneath the frame 1 is pivoted a horizontallymovable tension lever 28, which bears on said cam 27, and thereby enables the ring 16 and attached needle-cylinder 18 to be raised or lowered to Vary the length and tension of stitch without stopping the machine. This swinging tension-1ever28 is pivoted on a pin secured to the under side of the main frame 1, (see Fig. 1,) and at or near its outer end (see Fig. 2) it is provided with an upWardly-projceting Vertical guide-pin 29, which passes through a curved or segmental slot 30 in one side of the frame, or in a plate 31 formed on or attached thereto, and this guide-pin 29 carries an index 32, for use in connection with a scale marked on the indexsecured to the lug 44 on the gear 34. The upper end of the arm 53 has a central per-' plate 31, as shown, whereby the length of stitch can be regulated. The vertical movement of the bar 15 to raise and lower the ring 16 and needle-cylinder 18 is permitted by the sleeve 14 of the bar sliding on the guidepin 13. One side of the annular groove 12 in the frame 1 is cut away to form a segmental opening 33 above the gear 5, through which it meshes with a bevel-gear 34, that has a loose connection with the cam-cylinder 35, for a purpose hereinafter explained, the bevelgear 34 being adapted to run in said annular groove or channel. The cam-cylinder 35 is formed at its lower edge wit-h an annular horizontal flange 36, which projects beneath the web or flange 37 of the gear 34 and travels on the inner circular flange 10 of the frame.

Within the cam-cylinder 35 is fixed a stitchforming cam 38 and a pair of needle-raising cams 39 and 40. There is also a cam-race 41 for the hubs 42 of the needles 43, which are arranged in the needle-cylinder 18 in the usual manner.

On the upper face of the gear 34 is a lug 44, and on the outer periphery of the camoylinder 35, on opposite sides of the lug 44, at a suitable distance apart, are secured detachable stops 45 and 46, with either of which the lug 44 is adapted to engage for the purpose of driving the cam-cylinder in the required direction. In operating the machine on work of uniform character, as the legs and feet of stockings, the cam-cylinder will be driven continuously in one direction by belting on the fast pulley 6, the lug 44 being in contact with one of the stops 45 or 46; but in such work as the heels and toes of stockings the camcylinder will be driven alternately in opposite directions by a back-and-forth movement of the winch 7, thus causing the lug 44 on the gear 34 to come first in contact with one stop and then against the other, the power-belting being meanwhile shifted to the loose pulley.

The cam-cylinder 35 and gear 34 are secured to the frame of the machine without interfering with their movements by means of adjustable holding-plates 47, attached to the top of the outer frame-flange 11 by means of set-screws 48, passed through elongatedslots 49, whereby said plates 47 can be projecled and secured over the upper edge of the gear 34, to hold said gear and cam-cylinder in place, or be loosened or moved outward to permit the removal of the gear and camcylinder.

The thread-carrier 50 is adj ustably attached by means of a slot and set-screw to the upper: end of a plate or bar 51, which is pivoted atits lower end on a stud or headed pin 52, pro-' jecting from an arm 53, that is detachably foration 54, with an indentation on each side. On the inner face of the bar or plate 51 is a stud 56, which can be made to enter; the perforation 54 when it is desired to hold 'ble in guides 68, formed in the bracket.

the bar 51 vertically with attached threadcarrier 50 in its normal position; or, bypressing thebar 51 outward against the'te'nsion of a spring 57 on the stud or pin 52, said bar can be turned radially to either side and its stud 56 engaged in one of the indentations 55, thereby holding the thread out of the reach of the needles and enabling the needle-cylinder to be easily removed, if desired. It will be seen that the loose connection of the gear 34 and cam-cylinder 35 through the lugs or stops 45 and 46, located at a distance from the lug 44, enables the gear 34 to move the attached thread-carrier a suitable distance before the cam-cylinder is actuated in either direction, thus carrying the thread into proper position for the action of the needles when the camcylinder begins to move.

The yarn-guide 58 may be of any suitable or well-known construction, and is mounted 011 a standard 59 at the rear end of the frame.

On the forward arm of the yarn-guide is a mechanism for taking up the slack yarn or thread without drawing on the feed. This mechanism comprises the usual spring-lever 60 and a clamping-dog 61, pivoted in front of its center of gravity so as to tilt normally backward. The clamping-dog 61 is arranged near the forward end of the front yarn-guide arm, which is provided with a bifurcated guide 62 at its front end. The dog 61 has a transverse clamping arm or projection 63 at its rear end, under which the yarn passes. This clamping arm or projection 63 may rest behind a transverse rib 64, formed on the yarn-guide arm. On the forward end of the dog 61 is a curved lateral arm 75, beneath which the yarn also passes, and on the front arm of the yarn-guide 58 is a vertical guidepin 76 in the rear of the clamping-dog. The spring take-up lever 60 passes forward over the clamping-arm 63 and above the bifurcated guide 62, with its forward hooked end in position to receive the slack. Vhile the spring- IIO lever 60 is engaged in taking up the slack the pressure of the clamping arm or projection 63 at the rear end of the dog 61 holds down the feed-yarn, and so enables the slack to be taken up without drawing on the feed.

A belt-shifting lever 65 is pivoted to a bracket 66, projecting beneath the machine frame. This shifting-lever carries near its pivoted end a transverse pin 67, which is moxan one end of the pin 67 is a spring 68, which tends to throw the lever 65 and attached belt toward the loose pulley 8, and on the other end of said pin is a locking-shoulder 69, whereby the lever 65, when thrown outward, is held opposite the fast pulley 6, with the belt engaged thereon. The weight of the lever 65 holds the pin 67 down, with the shoulder 69 engaged at the edge of the guide-opening in the bracket; but if it is desired to stop the machine at any time the lever 65 can be slightly raised by hand, thus disengaging the locking-shoulder 69, when the spring 68 will immediately shift the lever and belt to the loose pulley.

For the purpose of automatically stopping the machine at predetermined intervals, to produce regular and uniform work, a trippiu g or releasing lever 70 is pivoted to the inner side of the bracket 66, with one end beneath the inner end of the pin (37, carried by the belt-shifting lever. From the forward end of the trip-lever 70 is suspended a stop-rod 71, provided at suitable intervals with adjustable stops 72 in the path of the usual weight or weights attached to the fabric being made. \Vhen a weight bears on one of these stops '72, the forward end of the tripping-lever 70 will be drawn down, thereby causing its rear end to raise and release the inner end of the locked pin 67, and the spring 68 will immediately shift the lever 65 and attached belt to the loose pulley, thus stopping the machine automatically. Vhile the machine is thus arranged to be stopped at predetermined i11- tervals without requiring the care or attention of the operator, it is obvious that it can at any time be stopped by hand, if necessary.

The operation of machines of this class is well known, and need not be further explained.

By my improved construction and arrangement of devices as herein set forth the various parts of a circular-knitting machine can be easily detached and replaced or adjusted, as required. Great speed and accuracy of work can be attained without disarrangement or undue wear of parts, and the length and tension of stitch can be instantly varied according to the requirements of the work without stopping the machine.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination of the frame or bed having a depending guide-pin, a needle-cylinder, a horizontal arm or bar having a cam on its under surface and provided at one end with a sleeve for engaging said guide-pin and at its other end with a solid unsplit ring for supporting the needle-cylinder, and a lever acting 011 said cam to raise and lower the needle-cylinder and its support, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the needle-cylinder, cam-cylinder, and loose cam-cylinder gear, of an adjustable thread-carrier mounted on said gear, said thread-carrier comprising an arm 53, provided with a perforation 54, and an indentation 55 on each side of said perforation, the pivoted plate 51 having a stud 56 to engage said perforation or indentations, and the spring 57, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the frame 1, the cam-cylinder 35, the needle-cylinder 18, the solid vertically-movable ring 16, for supporting the needle-cylinder, said ring being provided with recessed annular flange 17, slot 22, and lug 26, the sliding segmental clamp 20, having shank 2], the spring 23, and the thrust-pin 24, substantially as described.

a. The combination of the main frame 1, provided with concentric flanges and an annular chamber between the flanges, an annular gear running in said chamber, a cam-cylinder bearing on the frame and loosely con nected with the gear, a vertically-movable horizontal bar 15, having a ring 10, and provided 011 its under side with the cam-surface 27, the needle-cylinder 18, resting on the ring, a horiZontally-swinging lever 28, pivoted at one end to the main frame to engage the cam-surface for raising and lowering the horizontal bar, its ring and the needle-cylinder, and provided at or near its other end with a vertical guide-pin 29, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

J. L. ECK.

Vitn esses:

L. MARX, .T. H. MARX. 

